Canada's version of March Madness is here

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.

Pierre Trudeau famously likened sharing a border with the United States to "sleeping with an elephant." That could also describe the relationship between Canadian and U.S. collegiate basketball.

March Madness is the hoops equivalent of a 10,000-lb. beast. The U.S. TV rights contract for the massively popular men's tournament pays the NCAA $870 million US this year alone. That's $245 million more than the NHL makes annually from its American TV deals. The women's tournament is rising in popularity and reportedly could fetch its own separate rights fees soon.

Though it's a quintessentially American product, March Madness seems to be reaching across the border more than ever, now that Canada is a legit exporter of basketball talent. This year's men's bracket featured a record 30 Canadian-born players, including a key starter on the two highest-ranked teams. Andrew Nembhard led No. 1 Gonzaga in assists, steals and minutes this season, while Bennedict Mathurin was Arizona's top scorer.

Unfortunately, both were upset in the Sweet 16 and no Canadians made it to the men's Final Four. But all four women's Final Four teams include a Canadian — two of whom can play significant roles. Junior forward Laeticia Amihere helped top-ranked South Carolina advance on Sunday with nine points and three rebounds vs. Creighton. Last night, sophomore forward Aaliyah Edwards helped send UConn to its 14th consecutive Final Four with 10 points and seven boards in a double-OT win over North Carolina.

With Canadians succeeding like this on college basketball's biggest stage, the northern version of March